Arab-Isreali War

Section A:

One of the most complex issues of our times is the Arab–Israeli conflict. In this assessment, I will examine how Britain’s conflicting promises made to the opposing parties contributed to the Arab-Israeli War. I will examine this through an analysis of several primary sources originating from the period prior to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. These documents of historical meetings and promises such as the Balfour aration, the McMahon letters, and the White Papers of 1939 give us insight on how Britain’s contradictory promises led to conflict.

Section B:

Before the British Mandate:

In late 1800’s, Theodor Herzl founded Zionism . From the Jewish perspective, Palestine was “a land without a people for a people without a land” (“Zionist Phrase”). This led a large numbers of Jews in the early 1900’s to immigrate to Palestine, which they viewed as their God-given land.

WW1 and Outcomes:

The British saw WWI as an opportunity to conquer Palestine from the frail Ottoman Empire. The British enlisted the Arabs to fight against the Ottoman Empire, and in return, in 1915 a British high commissioner wrote to the Arab ruler of Mecca in the McMahon Letters “Great Britain is prepared to recognize and support the independence of the Arabs in all regions” (“McMahon Letters”).

In 1917 British Foreign Minister, Arthur Balfour promised in the Balfour Declaration that: “His Majesty’s government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people [sic] nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.” (“Balfour Declaration”).

The British Government restated the terms of the Balfour Declaration in the Churchill White papers of ...

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...li war, which ultimately arose from Britain’s opposing promises.

Section E:

Ultimately despite their best intentions, the British had set themselves up for an inevitable failure by making opposing arrangements that could not be satisfied simultaneously. Hence, the British were doomed by their own ambivalence. The British promises based off a strategy of short-term military and political gains only led to disappointment on both sides, increasing tensions between the opposing parties. However, we must remember that the United States, Zionist terrorist groups, economic issues, and the United Nations all contributed to preventing Britain from fulfilling its promises and mending the conflict. These factors however only accelerated and confirmed the inevitable outcome of an Arab-Israeli war, which was spurred on due to tension created by Britain’s contradictory promises.